Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year to everyone and Merry Christmas to those who are Ukrainian! Unless I'm back home, I don't make it a habit to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas which falls on January 7th. I laughed at the thought that if a Ukrainian wanted to make a New Year's resolution on January 1st such as "eat less carbs", they'd be screwed.

I remember when I was a kid, we'd have Christmas Eve dinner on the 6th, which would consist of 12 traditional dishes (none of which would contain meat). There'd be things such as cooked whole wheat kernels, fish, cabbage rolls, beets, mushrooms, potatoes, beans, bread and perogies. Carbs...and lots of them. It's in my blood.

The baba in me emerged and I decided to make some perogies this past weekend, using my late grandma's recipe that my aunt passed to me. Although I could have rolled the dough a little thicker, she must have been around in spirit because they tasted pretty darn good.

Makes 3-4 dozen

Making the Filling

4 medium yukon gold potatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces cheddar cheese

Peel and cut the potatoes into even pieces. Cover with cold water and add about 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of water. Bring the potatoes to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender. In the meantime, grate the cheddar cheese. Once the potatoes are done, drain and reserve the water. Rice the potatoes while they're hot and add the grated cheese. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.

Making the Dough

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup warm reserved potato water
1 tablespoon vinegar

Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Form a well and add the potato water, grapeseed oil and vinegar. Stir to combine and form into a dough. Turn out onto a counter top and knead until smooth, about 5-10 minutes, adding more flour, if necessary. Keep the dough slightly tacky (don't add too much flour or the dough will become too tough). Place into a clean bowl, cover the surface of the dough with a piece of plastic wrap and cover the bowl with a cloth towel. Let rest for about 2 hours.

Once the dough has rested, divide into 4 portions. Roll out onto a floured surface to about 1/4" thick. Don't roll the dough too thin, especially if you plan to fry the perogies (they'll get too crunchy). Cut out rounds with a 2 to 3 inch cookie cutter. You can even save the extra pieces of dough to cook and/or fry as well! Fill with about 1 tablespoon of the potato filling. Fold and stretch the dough in half, making sure to pinch the seam very well so they don't open up during cooking.

Once filled, place onto a towel-lined tray and cover with another towel to prevent them from drying out. Alternatively, they can be placed onto a parchment lined tray and transferred to the freezer to cook in the future. Once frozen, transfer to a sealed plastic bag and freeze for two to three months.

To cook the perogies, bring a large pot of cold, salted water (1 teaspoon per liter) to a simmer. Add a few perogies at a time. Stir gently so they don't stick to the bottom. Simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes until the perogies float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve immediately or transfer to an oiled baking sheet to cool in the refrigerator (if frying). The perogies brown better if they are cool (or cold) prior to frying.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add some butter. Fry the perogies on both sides until golden. Serve immediately with sour cream, fresh bacon bits and slow-cooked, golden onions. Enjoy! Click here for a few more pics.

Tagged as: [ recipes ukrainian ]